Hydrangea paniculata plant named &#39;hypmad i&#39;

ABSTRACT

Hydrangea paniculata,  ‘HYPMAD I’ has full glistening white inflorescences that mature to parchment. The habit is compact, rounded with strong, stout stems that hold the flowers upright. The leathery, dark green leaves are heat, drought, insect and disease resistant.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Hydrangea paniculata

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘HYPMAD I’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofHydrangea paniculata, a member of the Hydrangeaceae family, hereinafterreferred to as ‘HYPMAD I’. This cultivar is grown primarily as anornamental for landscape use and for use as fresh cut and dried flowers.The cultivar originated from open-pollination of Hydrangea paniculata‘Pink Diamond’ (unpatented), the pollen donor being unknown. It wasselected at the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. in 2001, from theprogeny seedlings of this open pollination by continued evaluation forlarge, glistening white sepals that cover the interior fertile flowers,stout stems that hold the paniculate inflorescences upright, leathery,dark green, heat and drought tolerant foliage, and compact growth habit.

‘HYPMAD I’ is distinguished from its female parent ‘Pink Diamond’ by itssepals (sterile florets) that form a solid white panicle and completelycover the fertile interior flowers. The sepals emerge light green, openglistening white, and mature green to parchment, maintaining the lattercolor when utilized as dried flowers. The sepals never develop thepronounced pink color of ‘Pink Diamond’. ‘HYPMAD I’ has stout, thickishstems that hold the inflorescences upright, whereas in side-by-sidecomparisons, ‘Pink Diamond’ inflorescences splay and bend.

‘HYPMAD I’ has leathery, thick, dark green leaves that are more heat anddrought resistant than the lighter green, thinnish leaves of ‘PinkDiamond’. ‘HYPMAD I’ develops a compact growth habit, 120 cm by 160 cmafter 4 years, whereas ‘Pink Diamond’ was 185 cm by 185 cm at the sameage in side-by-side comparisons.

‘HYPMAD I’ holds its inflorescences more upright than many H. paniculatavarieties, and the inflorescence is denser, more completely covered withsterile florets, than most, and it does not mature to a pink color ofthe dense inflorescence types such as ‘Grandiflora’ (unpatented),‘Webb's’ (unpatented) or ‘Little Lamb’ (unpatented).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been observed and represent thecharacteristics of the new Cultivar. In combination thesecharacteristics distinguish ‘HYPMAD I’ from all other varieties incommerce known to the inventor:

-   -   1. Glistening white sepals of the sterile florets cover the        fertile flowers producing a showy, full paniculate        inflorescence.    -   2. At maturation, sepals turn green to parchment and dry to the        latter color.    -   3. Thick stout stems hold the inflorescences upright even after        rain and wind.    -   4. Thick, leathery, dark green leaves display increased heat,        drought, insect, and disease tolerances.    -   5. Compact, dense habit, 120 cm high by 160 cm in four years        under field conditions in Athens, Ga.

‘HYPMAD I’ has been asexually propagated in Athens, Ga. since 2001. Thecharacteristics of the Cultivar have been stable and reproducedtrue-to-type in successive generations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

FIG. 1 shows a 4-year-old unpruned plant in the ground at Athens, Ga.,taken Jul. 23, 2005 showing the richness of the white inflorescences,the strong upright stems and the dark green leaves.

FIG. 2 shows an inflorescence approaching full expression, showing howthe sepals cover the fertile flowers.

FIG. 3 shows a 4-year-old unpruned plant in the ground at Athens, Ga.,taken Aug. 10, 2005, showing the inflorescences turning green toparchment.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

A detailed description of Hydrangea paniculata ‘HYPMAD I’ follows.Colors are based on The Royal Horticultural Colour Chart (1995). Allmeasurements/characteristics were taken from 4-year-old plants in theground at the UGA Horticultural Farm, Athens, Ga., USDA Zone 7.Measurements of leaf/stems and floral characteristics are based on 10 to20 samples.

-   Plant: The plant has a compact, upright, rounded growth habit, with    many upright branches from the base, attaining a size of 120 cm high    by 160 cm wide after 4 years.-   Stems: The current year stems are round, averaging 7.6 mm in    diameter, with no pubescence or exfoliation and are Greyed-Green    197C in color. The average length of the internode is 5.1 cm. Older    stems are up to 21.3 mm in diameter, with a rough texture, and    Greyed-Green 197B in color.-   Vegetative buds: The imbricate vegetative buds are in an opposite    arrangement, 1 per leaf and 2 per node, flat on the stem. They are    rounded to globose in shape, 1 mm by 1 mm, and have 4 to 6 scales    which are Brown 200B in Color.-   Flower buds: The flower buds are round in shape with no pubescence,    3 mm long by 3 mm wide and White 155B in color. They develop in the    summer and the time range for showiness is 8 weeks.-   Leaf: The leaves, in opposite arrangement, are ovate in shape with    rounded to acute base and acute apex and finely serrate margin. The    mature leaf is 12.9 cm long by 7.5 cm wide, thick and leathery with    no wax. It is finely setose on upper and lower surfaces, and heavily    setose on lower veins and midrib. The color of the emerging leaf is    Yellow-Green 144A on both upper and lower surfaces, maturing to    Green 139A on the upper surface and Greyed-Green 191A on the lower.    The venation is pinnate, with Yellow-Green 148D veins. The petioles    average 2.6 cm long and 3.3 mm in diameter, are grooved above and    rounded below, finely setose, and are Yellow-Green 146D in color.-   Inflorescence: The bloom period is 2 months from flower opening to    maturity. The paniculate inflorescence, containing an average of 721    sterile florets (sepals) and fertile flowers, averages 21.2 cm long    by 16.7 cm at greatest width. There are on average 18 inflorescences    per plant, one per terminal branch.-   Sterile florets: There are 4 sepals, elliptical to round in shape    with obcordate apex and rounded base and entire margin. The texture    is smooth with no pubescence. They are 29.4 mm long by 24.6 mm wide.    At emergence, the upper and lower surfaces are Yellow-Green 154D,    becoming White 155C at full bloom, and Yellow-Green 145A with tinges    of Greyed-Red 181B to 181C on upper surface and a Yellow-Green 145B    lower surface at maturity. The peduncle is finely setose and    Yellow-Green 150D in color.-   Fertile flowers: The petals are ovate in shape, with acute apex,    truncate base and an entire margin. They are 3 mm in length by 2 mm    wide, with a smooth texture and no pubescence. Their color is White    155C. The pedicel is 1.2 mm long, finely setose, and Green-White    157A in color. There are 10 anthers, 0.75 mm long by 0.5 mm wide and    Greyed-Orange 165B in color. The filament is 3 mm long by 0.5 mm    wide and White 155C in color. The superior pistil is globose in    shape, 4 mm long by 2 mm wide with no pubescence and Yellow-White    158C/Yellow-Green 145C in color. There are 3 stigmas per flower,    with no pubescence and White 155C in color. The style is columnar in    shape, 2 mm long with no pubescence and White 155C in color. There    is 1 ovary, rounded in shape, with no pubescence.-   Fruit: The fruit is a dehiscent capsule, ovoid in shape, 4 mm long    by 3 mm wide, and maturing from Yellow-Green 145B through    Greyed-Orange 176A to Brown 200A in color. They are persistent for 3    to 4 months but are not aesthetic.-   Seed: The seeds are linear in shape, 3 mm long by 0.5 mm wide and    Greyed-Orange 165B in color.

1. A new and distinct variety of Hydrangea paniculata plantsubstantially as herein described and illustrated.